A Winnipeg man is headed to prison after pleading guilty to his role in a major Hells Angels sting operation.
Ryan Cory Sawatzky admitted Tuesday to selling two ounces of poor quality cocaine to a long-time biker associate who was actually working undercover for the police.
Sawatzky, 28, was given 33 months behind bars, in addition to six months of time already spent in custody under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. He was one of 31 people arrested last December as part of "Project Divide" and is the seventh to plead guilty.
Crown attorney Mark Lafreniere said Sawatzky was caught on camera delivering the drugs to the secret agent outside his home last November. Sawatzky had been a prospect with the Zig Zag Crew, which is the feeder crew to the Hells Angels, but had turned in his vest weeks earlier in an apparent bid at a fresh start in life.
He quickly got pulled back in when the agent, Michael Satsatin, came looking $150 in unpaid dues that he still owed, court was told. Sawatzky agreed to eliminate his debt by selling the cocaine, which had been severely diluted by cutting agents and was only seven per cent pure.
Defence lawyer Ian Garber told court his client is a cancer survivor who desperately wants to get out of jail to be a father to his five-year-old son. The boy is currently living with his mother.
Satsatin was the treasurer of the Zig Zag Crew when he agreed to become a secret agent and capture the inner workings of the criminal organization in exchange for $450,000 and witness protection. Investigators seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 ecstasy tablets, one ounce of heroin and seven pounds of marijuana during their 13-month investigation, along with cash, firearms and gang paraphernalia. More than 300 Mounties and police from Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne and B.C. were involved.
Cancer survivor heads to prison after police sting
Cancer survivor heads to prison after police sting
A cancer survivor who tried to work his way out of debt by selling drugs for the Hells Angels is headed to prison.
Ryan Cory Sawatzky pleaded guilty Tuesday to trafficking two ounces of poor quality cocaine to a longtime biker associate who was actually working undercover for the police.
Sawatzky, 28, was given 33 months behind bars, in addition to six months of time already spent in custody under a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.
He was one of 31 people arrested last December as part of Project Divide and is the seventh to plead guilty.
"I have nobody to thank but that (expletive) organization and my (expletive) stupidity," Sawatzky told police following his arrest.
Crown attorney Mark Lafreniere told court Sawatzky was caught on camera delivering the drugs to the secret agent outside his home last November. Sawatzky had been a prospect with the Zig Zag Crew, which is the feeder crew to the Hells Angels, but had turned in his vest weeks earlier in an apparent bid at a fresh start in life.
He quickly got pulled back in when the agent, Michael Satsatin, came looking for $150 in unpaid dues he still owed, court was told. Sawatzky agreed to eliminate his debt by selling the cocaine, which had been severely diluted by cutting agents and was only seven per cent pure.
Defence lawyer Ian Garber told court his client had already fought through two bouts of cancer and desperately wants to get out of jail to be a father to his five-year-old son.
The boy is currently living with his mother.
"To his credit, he had walked away from this group and set out on a better path," said Garber.
Satsatin was the treasurer of the Zig Zag Crew when he agreed to become a secret agent and capture the inner workings of the criminal organization in exchange for $450,000 and witness protection.
Investigators seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 ecstasy tablets, one ounce of heroin and seven pounds of marijuana during their 13-month investigation, along with cash, firearms and gang paraphernalia.
More than 300 Mounties and police from Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne and B.C. were involved.
Ryan Cory Sawatzky pleaded guilty Tuesday to trafficking two ounces of poor quality cocaine to a longtime biker associate who was actually working undercover for the police.
He was one of 31 people arrested last December as part of Project Divide and is the seventh to plead guilty.
"I have nobody to thank but that (expletive) organization and my (expletive) stupidity," Sawatzky told police following his arrest.
Crown attorney Mark Lafreniere told court Sawatzky was caught on camera delivering the drugs to the secret agent outside his home last November. Sawatzky had been a prospect with the Zig Zag Crew, which is the feeder crew to the Hells Angels, but had turned in his vest weeks earlier in an apparent bid at a fresh start in life.
He quickly got pulled back in when the agent, Michael Satsatin, came looking for $150 in unpaid dues he still owed, court was told. Sawatzky agreed to eliminate his debt by selling the cocaine, which had been severely diluted by cutting agents and was only seven per cent pure.
Defence lawyer Ian Garber told court his client had already fought through two bouts of cancer and desperately wants to get out of jail to be a father to his five-year-old son.
The boy is currently living with his mother.
"To his credit, he had walked away from this group and set out on a better path," said Garber.
Satsatin was the treasurer of the Zig Zag Crew when he agreed to become a secret agent and capture the inner workings of the criminal organization in exchange for $450,000 and witness protection.
Investigators seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 ecstasy tablets, one ounce of heroin and seven pounds of marijuana during their 13-month investigation, along with cash, firearms and gang paraphernalia.
More than 300 Mounties and police from Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne and B.C. were involved.
I completely disagree with drug offenders being sentenced to prison. Prisons should be reserved for the most dangerous, high risk and violent offenders, not drug offenders, who could be better assisted outside of prison. This man is a father and had gone through a cancer struggle and doesn't deserve to be in prison for selling a small amount of cocaine. Prison is a negative environment which only exposes drug offenders to more pro criminal attitudes, values and behaviours as gangs and drugs are prevalent in Canadian prisons. Prison will not help this man in becoming a more productive citizen. He will likely only become further entrenched in the lifestyle. He is not dangerous to the public, therefore, he should not be in prison. If he has a drug addiction, he can best be helped through community sanctions, not prison, as prison programs are largely under-funded and the prison subculture counteracts with strategies and skills inmates may have learned in a prison program.
I would have recommended a conditional sentence of 23 months combined with 3 years probation. He could have conditions imposed to live with his wife and son, attend substance abuse programs if he has those issues, community service work and employment assistance.
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